When we first started talking about a family vacation in Mexico, flying from the Tijuana Airport seemed like a great option – and bonus points because it was easy and cheap!
Now before I go on, please purge from your list of negative associated with Tijuana – it is completely safe and very US-friendly. If our family is anything like yours, you might be feeling a little dubious about crossing the border to fly from Mexico. Truthfully, years ago when the border situation was a little rough, we may not have felt comfortable. But things have been safe for many years now, and our experience was flawless.
Knowing we would be traveling with several families from different cities, we planned the destination in Mexico first and the flights came afterwards. When comparing flights from Tijuana versus San Diego or Los Angeles, there was a remarkable cost savings. We ended up buying first class tickets on Aeromexico from Tijuana to our final destination in Mexico, which were still less expensive than flying in coach seats from San Diego! This was also a better deal than flying from LAX, so our LA family drove down to the border to join us.
Entering the US side of the CBX Bridge was a piece of cake
Even more compelling, a new cross-border pedestrian bridge was just completed that connects directly into the Tijuana Airport. The Cross Border Xpress (CBX) facility was recently opened, and the buildings on the US side are architecturally gorgeous, open and clean.
The process at CBX was ridiculously easy (and faster than LAX to be sure). We followed the simple directions to the CBX location, parked our car in their convenient lot for $15/day, and checked into our Aeromexico flights on the US side of the border. From there, we paid the small fee of $14 per person, and then walked the short distance across the border using the elevated bridge. On the Mexican side, we cleared customs and walked directly into the lobby of the Tijuana Airport.
The whole process took about 15 minutes from start to finish. Inside the airport, we proceeded to check our bags and go through security – the lines for both were short and fast-moving. We were astonished to find ourselves with too much time in the waiting area for our flight, which NEVER happens in our family (usually the opposite because we are always rushing to be on time).
Even the architecture of the CBX facility is impressive
Compare this to another experience when our family flew to Cancun, Mexico out of San Diego airport last year. We had to check in at San Diego Airport, show passports and fill out immigration forms, fly to Dallas, connect to a different flight, and eventually arrive in Cancun. We went through customs in Cancun, which took forever due to the crowds of visitors coming from all over. The amount of time in lines was staggering.
With the CBX experience, we cleared customs and immigration within the bridge connection before entering the Tijuana airport, and sailed through check-in, security and lines throughout our Aeromexico flights deeper into Mexico.
I highly recommend this travel option – we will definitely do it again!
I’ll be using CBX for my first time this week on the way to Oaxaca. It includes parking my car in the lot so I really appreciate you adding that nugget in there as well. Thank you for all the great content!
Thanks for sharing this; I really appreciate hearing about your first-hand experience!
As a Travel Agent I’m happy to read this.
I haven’t flown out of there since 1988 when I almost got arrested running across the ramp to my aircraft that almost left without me.
I grew up down in Southern CA & am quite comfortable crossing the border whether by walking, driving, riding, sailing, or by train so am always advocating for people to visit. Thanks for detailing your experience, I feel more comfortable now promoting CBX and the ease of flying out of Tijuana.
Hi Jenny – Yes it’s not as easy to cross the border as it used to be back in the day! But CBX is a great option, and we use it all the time. They have recently increased size and efficiency so things move even more quickly.
Thanks for the post. I live in LA. And have actually never tried this option. But I’ll be going to Puerto Vallarta on July 3 to July 10…for my birthday. How did you book your plane ticket to get a good rate? I tried investigating rates and the savings doesn’t seem that significant, once I factor in transport to the border and parking. Did you search using a VPN to mask the country you are searching from?
Hello – I’m sure the rates vary from time of year and day of week. We did not use a VPN. Good luck with your booking!
I appreciate finding your post. I’m visiting San Diego (from the Bay area) with my daughter and considering flying to Cabos from there.
Is it easy to Uber from our hotel to the cbx facility?
Can we pay the fees online ahead of time?
Also, how long before our flight do we need to be at the facility and the airport?
I’d like to know how much time to give in order to make an early flight.
Thanks.
Hello – We usually uber to CBX from near downtown San Diego and it is quite easy. You can pay online in advance using the CBX website, and some of the airlines allow you to add the CBX ticket price to your flight expenses when you book the tickets directly through the airline.
The amount of time you arrive in advance depends on the time and date of your travel. We recommend you arrive to CBX at least 90 minutes before the boarding time of your flight – longer on a busy holiday weekend. If you are checking bags, also allow for about 10 extra minutes. On average for us, it has taken approximately 30 minutes from the time you pass through the CBX gate until you arrive at your departing gate inside the airport. (More time at busy holidays). Hope this helps!